Big weekend in stakes for Mucho Macho Man offspring

Mucho Macho Man was good as a 2-year-old, better as a 3-year-old, and at his best as an older horse. If his progeny continue to follow in his footsteps, their futures look bright.

The 3-year-olds Mucho Unusual and Mucho Gusto, both from their sire’s first crop, turned in solid performances Saturday, with Mucho Unusual winning the Grade 2 San Clemente at Del Mar and Mucho Gusto finishing second in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth.

Both Mucho Unsual and Mucho Gusto were stakes performers as 2-year-olds who have stepped up their efforts this season. The California-bred Mucho Unusual, who races as a homebred for George Krikorian after failing to meet her reserve with a high bid of $170,000 as a Keeneland September yearling, was multiple stakes-placed against statebreds last season. This year, she has won three of four starts, including the California Cup Oaks in February and now the San Clemente in her graded stakes debut.

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Mucho Unusual is trained by former Bob Baffert assistant Tim Yakteen, while Mucho Gusto is trained by Baffert himself for Michael Lund Petersen, who bought the colt for $625,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale. Mucho Gusto won the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes and was second in the Grade 1 CashCall Futurity to fellow Baffert trainee Improbable last year. Early this season, Mucho Gusto won the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and finished third in the Grade 3 Sunland Derby. Bypassing the Triple Crown series, he won the Lazaro Barrera Stakes and Affirmed Stakes, both Grade 3 events, before returning to Grade 1 company in the Haskell. The colt dueled with favored Maximum Security down the lane before that foe edged away to win by 1 1/4 lengths, with Mucho Gusto eight lengths clear of the rest of the field.

Mucho Macho Man, a June foal, raced for Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, with Frank Stronach later buying in with a plan to stand the horse at his Adena Springs upon retirement. Mucho Macho Man was multiple graded stakes-placed at 2; won the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes and finished third in the 2011 Kentucky Derby; and the following year, at age 4, was a multiple Grade 2 winner and finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The horse had his breakout season at age 5, winning his first Grade 1 in the Awesome Again Stakes before following up with a nose victory in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita over champion Will Take Charge. Mucho Macho Man returned to win a stakes the following year at 6 before retiring with more than $5.6 million in career earnings.

Mucho Macho Man is the top earner for his sire Macho Uno, Adena’s homebred 2000 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and Eclipse Award champion. The two stand alongside one another in Kentucky.